Utter Confusion
by Draco-Hermy
Summary: Written for the "Love Interest" Challenge. Back for an eighth year at Hogwarts, Hermione is in for one heck of a time. Blaise Zabini seems to be very interested in her. 3 years later, she sees Draco. When Blaise cheats, what happens with Hermione?
1. Introducing Hermione

**A/N My first Love Triangle story! Yay! This is for the "Love Interest" Challenge by MalfoyPotter1966! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, Harry Potter didn't belong to me. Weird, huh?**

My name is Hermione Granger. Heard of me? I'm sure you have. _Everyone_ has. Is there no privacy in the world?

So you've heard of me. Good. That means I don't have to describe myself, which everyone would hate to hear. It's not like I'm _interesting_, or anything.

If you're reading this, it means you want to hear what I have to say. If not, then why are you here in the first place?

So, here is my story:

I was at Hogwarts again, for an eighth year, like everyone else. Of course, a few people had decided to stay at home, but I hadn't.

The only thing different was that Harry and Ron weren't here. They had gone straight to the Auror Office, and had gotten jobs immediately. I knew that would happen to me as well, but I wanted to finish my education.

Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy had stayed as well. Ugh. Why were _they_ here? It wasn't like they cared about learning or anything, right?

But apparently, they did. Because over the next week, those two were paying more attention in class than they ever had before. It was really quite weird.

But anyway, I was enjoying myself in this new eighth year. Neville and Luna were repeating their years as well. Neville had been dating Hannah last year, but she had dumped him last week for Seamus. Now Luna was going with Neville, and they were perfect for each other. I had never been happier for two people in my entire life.

The classes we took were more wonderful than they ever had been, and I was enjoying myself immensely.

Then, one day changed my opinion.

It was the day before Halloween, and we would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade the next day. I was planning on going with Ginny and Luna, and we would have so much fun buying every little thing from Honeydukes.

But, right before lunch, Blaise Zabini pulled me aside.

"What do you want, Zabini?" I sighed.

He looked around, made sure that no one was there. That slightly worried me. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow," he asked.

My jaw dropped. "You aren't pranking me, right? This isn't some sick joke?"

Zabini looked stunned. "No, of course not!" I checked for signs of lying: dilated pupils, high voice. Nothing of the sort.

"Well… I suppose. Sure," I responded, and he beamed.

"Pick you up at nine o' clock tomorrow, then?" Blaise asked.

I nodded, speechless. Then, I turned and walked straight into the Great Hall, looking back about every five paces, and seeing the same grin on Blaise Zabini's face.

It actually made my day.

**A/N Sorry for the shortness, but the next chapter will definitely be longer. **


	2. Halloween Day

**A/N I know it's been long… but I want to see how this turns out. And stupid wouldn't let me do ANYTHING so that's part of the reason.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter has never belonged to me and I don't believe it ever will!**

On Halloween day, I woke up extremely happy. You see, I don't like Blaise in a _boyfriend_ kind of way, just like a friend. But I really appreciated that he asked me. It would be kind of awkward, I guess, since he seemed to like me for real… but for now, it didn't matter, because I was going to enjoy myself.

I met up with Blaise in the Great Hall at nine o' clock an hour later, after I had gotten ready. I hadn't smoothed my hair, but I had brushed it. And I was wearing regular Muggle clothes, because even though Hogsmeade was an all-wizarding village, Muggles sometimes got utterly confused and made their way there.

Anyway, I was wearing Muggle clothing, and so was everyone else going to Hogsmeade. Blaise and I walked together to the wizarding village.

We ate a bunch of sweets at Honeydukes, drank three Butterbeers each in the Three Broomsticks, and bought a whole lot of pranks at Zonko's. Eventually, though, we had to stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies. I had known this was coming. I didn't exactly mind, though, because Blaise didn't forget about me. He kept pointing things out and saying how cool it would be if I played Quidditch. I told him that Quidditch didn't make any sense.

He just smiled at me and kept looking around the store. After that, we got some quills and parchment at the Quills-R-Everything store, and Blaise stopped by the Post Office to send a short letter to his parents via Hogsmeade.

When we got back, I was laughing. Blaise was so nice! He didn't act like it, though, when he hung around the Slytherins.

"Why don't you come sit with us, Blaise?" I asked him.

He looked uncomfortable. "Er, I can't, Hermione. I promised Draco I would sit with him."

"Oh. Okay," I shrugged, and sat down with my friends.

"But, um… you could sit with us," suggested Blaise nervously.

My eyes widened, and I stared at him. "You _do_ realize that they would basically torture me if I do that, right?" I clarified.

"Uh, never mind, then." And off he went to sit with the rest of the Slytherins.

The Great Hall was decorated wonderfully. It was better than ever before: the ceiling was bright orange, with jack o' lanterns floating around the room, lit, and cackling. There were bats fluttering around the room, and leafless trees that seemed to have grown right up out of the floor.

There was haunting music being played, yet everyone was laughing and yelling and talking with one another. I felt slightly left out, however, because Harry and Ron weren't here to share this experience.

Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium. Everyone quieted at once. "Before we can start our feast, I have an announcement to make. At nine o' clock this evening, we are going to have a ball. It was going to be a surprise, but I don't think you would appreciate that. Let the fest begin!"

The food appeared. It was wonderful, but I wasn't focusing on that.

A _ball?_

After we finished eating, it was seven o' clock. I rushed upstairs to my dorm, and found that Lavender and Parvati were already there.

"What are you going to wear, Hermione?" asked Parvati.

"I don't know. What about you guys?" I asked them.

"_I'm_ going to wear a costume. I'm going to be a fairy," announced Lavender.

"A purple fairy?" I guessed.

"How did you know?" she gasped. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes.

"What about you, Parvati?"

"I'm not sure. But I don't want to wear a costume, I always look silly in those," she told me.

I nodded. "I'll do that, too. How about…" I waved my wand, and a dress appeared.

"How did you do that?" asked Lavender in a hushed voice.

"If you go to the library, and look up conjuring spells, it'll tell you," I informed her. She smiled evilly. I looked at the dress that had shown up. It was long and black, with rhinestones around the bottom and running up the sides. It was sleeveless, with a thin black satin scarf to go with it.

I put it on, and when I came out of the bathroom, the other two were ready to brush their hair and put on make-up, but they barely needed it. Lavender was, as she said, dressed as a purple fairy, and Parvati was wearing an orange, long-sleeve dress that made her kind of look like a thin pumpkin, but in a good way.

"Wow, Hermione," said Parvati.

"What?" I asked her, confused.

"You look… well, you look great!" she exclaimed. Lavender just looked highly miffed, and didn't say a word.

"You two look wonderful as well," I told them. Then I smiled, and walked out of the dorm.

I made my way out of the Common Room and down to the Great Hall. It was now nine o' clock, but I had no idea how long the ball was going to be.

When I got to the Entrance Hall, the doors to the Great Hall were already open, and many students were inside. I stepped inside to find the Great Hall transformed to an even better place than it had been at the feast.

There were still the jack o' lanterns and the bats, but now the Hall was emitting an orange glow, and the tables were changed into hundreds of little ones. There was a black tiled dance floor, and the Weird Sisters were back, playing some really loud rock music.

There were long buffet tables lining the left and right sides of the Hall, with every kind of snack you can imagine. The plates just kept refilling themselves, too, so nothing ran out.

There were orange and black streamers hung on the ceiling, and huge, glittering cobwebs were stuck to the corners of the place. Fog covered the floor around the tiles, but there was still a thin layer of fog on the dance floor. I could barely see where I was going.

Everyone was now in the Great Hall. Someone came up to me and tapped my shoulder. I whirled around.

It was Blaise.


	3. The Ball

**A/N Sorry for the long wait, guys, on the last chapter. But stupid wouldn't let me do anything for a few days, and then the Internet wasn't working… so that's why it took so long. Hope you liked it, though, and I really hope you like this one!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.**

Blaise smiled. "Care to dance?" he asked.

The Weird Sisters started playing a slow song, and I blushed. "Sure," I said.

He took my hand and we got onto the dance floor. I've never been a very good dancer. I'm coordinated, but I never really learned to dance, so I kept stepping on Blaise's feet. It was quite embarrassing.

Near the end of the song, Blaise leaned in. He was about to kiss me, I think, but then…

"Blaise! Over here!" called Pansy Parkinson. He rolled his eyes. The moment was broken.

"It's alright," I said, and smiled. "Go on." He looked apologetic, but Pansy kept calling him, and he really had no choice but to go over there.

So I was alone. I sat down at one of the tables and Summoned a Pumpkin Pasty. It zoomed onto the small plate next to me, but I ignored it. I just put my head on my shoulders.

I didn't cry, if that's what you think. That would just be pathetic. But I did feel kind of sad. I munched on the pasty.

A couple of hours later, Professor McGonagall clapped her hands, and the buffet of snacks turned into dinner food. I just flicked my wand, not wanting to get up, and a few sausages, along with some pizza and apple pie flew onto my plate.

I poked half-heartedly at them for a while. After a little bit, they got cold, but I heated them up again. A while later, someone sat down next to me.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" It was Blaise.

"I'm fine." I ate the sausages.

"Are you sure? You came over here and didn't really do anything. I'm a bit worried about you," he said.

I rolled my eyes and stuffed a piece of pizza into my mouth. "Perfectly fine."

He didn't look convinced. "Hermione, would you like to dance again?" This was what he had been waiting to ask, I'm sure.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," I told him. "Just a bit tired, is all. It's eleven at night, after all, and I usually go to sleep at ten." This was true, of course, but I just wanted him to leave me alone.

"Please, Hermione?" he asked, and gestured toward the dance floor.

"No, thank you," I insisted. He pleaded with me wordlessly. I shook my head. I glanced over at Pansy Parkinson. She was glaring at me.

"I think Pansy wants you over there." I pointed at her. Blaise shook his head.

"Pansy just doesn't like me talking to you. She thinks you're a horrible person just because of your parentage, but I think I'm slowly convincing her that it doesn't matter."

I rolled my eyes and took a bite of the apple pie. Malfoy came over.

"Come _on_, Blaise. She obviously doesn't want to. Let's go." And to me, he sneered, "And we don't want a Mudblood, anyway."

Malfoy pulled Blaise behind him.

Normally, when Malfoy calls me a Mudblood, I don't think about it. I don't know what got into me, but this time it really hurt.

I stormed out of the Great Hall. A dancing skeleton tried to pull me back in, but I shook it off and ran up to my dorm. I didn't go back.

When Lavender and Parvati came, I pretended to be asleep. They knew I was awake, but probably figured that something had gone on and I didn't want to talk about it.

I lay like that the entire night. I didn't sleep. Thankfully, then next morning was Sunday. But I didn't want to do _anything_. Anything at all.

**A/N Sorry it's so short… And sappy… But it's essential to the plot. So PLEASE R&R!**


	4. A New Job

**A/N Here is the fourth installment of "Utter Confusion"! Hope you love!**

**Disclaimer: NOTHING BELONGS TO ME! AHHHHHHHHHH!**

3 YEARS LATER

I woke up and stretched. I looked, bleary-eyed, around my apartment. It was fairly small, and a bleak white color, with a red rug. There were only four rooms: the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and the bathroom. I had only been there a week, however, and there was much to change.

I glanced at the clock. It was eight o' clock! I had to get going- I had my new job at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. I was _not_ going to be late on my first day.

I threw on a grey business suit, brushed my hair, ate a bagel, and Apparated to the Visitor's Entrance of the Ministry of Magic. I stepped inside of the phone booth and tapped in 62442. The booth shuddered and began moving slowly downward.

I know what you're thinking: why not just Apparate _into_ the Ministry? Or use Floo Powder? Well, I haven't been granted that privilege yet, so I can only use the Visitor's Entrance.

The phone booth halted suddenly, and I stepped out of it and into the special hall of the Ministry. I ran to the Visitor Guard, and handed him my wand.

He scanned it. "Free to go, Miss Granger," he said. I thanked him, grabbed my wand, and dashed to the elevator. One was preparing to leave, but I got inside just in time.

"Magical Law Enforcement Office, please," I said.

"Oh, Hermione! Sending a message?" asked one of the employees.

"No, I got promoted," I told him.

"Good for you! I think I'll be due for a promotion in a month or so- maybe I'll be in the same office!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe," I said offhandedly. The elevator stopped. "This is my floor. Goodbye!"

I got off the elevator and walked briskly to the Law Enforcement Office. I pushed open the door slowly. Kingsley was sitting there.

"Come in, Hermione," he said warmly. I sat down in one of the chairs.

"What are you doing here, Kingsley? I would think the Minister had something more important to do than welcome new people to their jobs."

"Hermione, you're a special case. You helped defeat Voldemort- I had to see you off!" he said, and I smiled.

"What do I have to do?" I asked.

"The new Head will give you instructions. I'm just here to introduce you to him." Kingsley waved his hand, and someone stepped into the room. The man was in the shadows, though, I couldn't tell who it was.

"There's a new Head? What happened to Grant?" I asked.

"Grant retired. Sir, come here so she can see you," said Kingsley to the man.

The new Head of Magical Law Enforcement stepped into the light. I paled.

It was Draco Malfoy. And he was smirking.

**A/N Again, really sorry it's so short, but it's ALSO essential. **


	5. Rules

**A/N Please review, people. I would really appreciate the effort. I don't even need constructive criticism! Just a few words would be fine! Do you like my story? Do you not? Tell me why!**

**Disclaimer: Harry doesn't belong to me.**

Yes. Draco Malfoy was the new Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Office, and I was going to have to do whatever it was he wanted me to do. Not just that, but he would really have an impact on my boyfriend, Blaise.

Blaise and I have been together ever since we graduated Hogwarts. Draco went off with some girl named Astoria, I think. Anyway, Blaise would _not_ be happy to hear that I work for his old friend, now archenemy.

Malfoy smirked. He snapped his fingers, and two women walked into the room. They were blonde, dressed like schoolgirls, and very tall. Their blank-looking eyes told me that they weren't very smart.

"I'll let you introduce the other workers, Draco," said Kingsley hurriedly. He probably sensed a fight, because he left immediately.

"Granger, meet Janie Aika and Kristy Allstar. They're my Undersecretaries," drawled Malfoy.

My jaw dropped. "_They're_ going to take over after you?"

Janie stepped forward. Actually, she more strutted. "Hey." She was chewing on gum. "I'm not _deaf_, ya know. I can hear ev'rything you're saying. I ain't _dumb_, either. Me and Kristy deserve to be next in line for Head of Magical Law Enforcement. We work real hard!"

"Janie, the proper grammer is 'Kristy and I' and 'We work _really_ hard'," I told her crossly.

"Well, if it's not Miss _Smarty-Pants_ over here," sneered Kristy. "You're talking to us like we're dumb! Well, we're _not!_ It's pretty plain."

"Kristy, you mean stupid, not dumb. Dumb is just another word for 'mute', that is a common mistake-" She cut me off by snarling and starting toward me.

Malfoy grabbed her around the waist. "Kristy, we don't want ay trouble, do we? Or the Minister will have to de-mote you, and we don't want that!"

Kristy became limp, and hung onto Malfoy. "No, we don't," she simpered. But she still glared at me.

I cannot believe she's two years older than me.

The day was torture.

The first thing Malfoy did was invite me into his office. I thought we would hold a civilized conversation, but all he did was toss me a piece of parchment.

"That's a list."

"Well, obviously, Malfoy. I'm not stupid," I told him. He glared at me.

"I think we should go over a couple of rules," he sneered. "First, you will not back-talk me. Second, I am _Mister_ Malfoy to you, as I am your boss."

"But you're younger than I am!" I protested.

"You broke rule number one already. Tut, tut. That calls for some punishment, Mudblood," he said.

I gasped. "You can't call me that! They'll expel- I mean, fire you!"

"Rule number three," Malfoy snapped, "I can call you whatever I desire, being your boss. Now, for your punishment… I can't decide yet. After you're finished doing everything on the list I gave you, come back here and I'll give you your punishment."

I clenched my jaw. "Rule number one…" he reminded me. I didn't say anything. I just nodded and started toward the door.

"Oh, and Mudblood?" he called. I turned around and glared at him stonily.

"Yes?"

"No magic," he said, and smirked.

"_What?_ You want me to do everything on this list without magic?" I screeched.

"Yes," he said pleasantly.

"You can't make me," I said, and stalked away. But just before I reached the door, my wand flew out of my hand and was caught in Malfoy's.

"Rule number four," he said. "No disobeying."

I fumed and walked away.


	6. A Friend, A Punishment

**A/N This is hopefully a good story… I really would appreciate some reviews.**

**Disclaimer: Do I **_**look**_** like HP belongs to me, because it DOESN'T.**

I looked at the list. It read:

Organize all my books alphabetically.

Write a report on why Magical Law Enforcement is important (Three feet long)

Organize my files alphabetically.

Clean my office, and all of my employees' offices.

Write a report on why you should not back-talk (one thousand words)

Write another report on why you shouldn't use magic to clean (five hundred words)

And on it went. All the tasks were incredibly stupid, and Malfoy had obviously just come up with them off of the top of his head just to annoy me. There were thirty-seven things on the list, and I had to do all of them without magic.

I sighed. If I wanted this job, I had to do what he asked. So I walked back into his office (where Malfoy was smirking and working at the same time) and crouched down at his bookcase, which was very large.

After twenty minutes, I was done. I did that a lot for Madam Pince when I went back for an eighth year. She let me stay after the library closed and read, as long as I reorganized all of the books.

The other tasks were insane. Write a report on why this job was important? Was he _serious?_ But I got them done. I had decided to clean all of the offices last.

I was in the middle of cleaning Janie's office when she spoke.

"Why are you doing this without magic?" she asked me, smacking on gum.

"Because Malfoy took my wand away," I told her.

"Why would he do that? He's so sweet!" she exclaimed.

"I went to school with him, Janie, and I'm Muggleborn. He's always hated me, and he always will. It's just the way it works." I shrugged and went back to scrubbing her floor.

"You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot this morning. You're just _really_ smart, and it's kind of annoying. But you're going to need friends here, Hermione, and I'm willing to be your first." Janie smiled at me.

"That's really sweet of you, Janie!" I said, and attacked a particularly dark stain on the floor.

She suddenly lowered her voice. "I heard you know Harry Potter."

I sat on my knees and wiped my forehead. "Yes, he's one of my best friends."

"Do you think you could introduce me to him?" she asked hesitantly.

"I would love to, Janie. But, just so you know, he has a wife." She _did_ seem to be swooning…

Her face fell. "Oh."

"I _do_ also know Ron Weasley. And he's free," I told her. Janie smiled. I went back to washing the floor.

"Here, let me help you," she said, and waved her wand. The room was suddenly sparkling clean.

"Thanks," I said. "Yours was the last one. You want to sit with me at lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure! Kristy just talks about her problems all the time, anyway. I have to go… sorry. I'll see you tomorrow!" she said.

"Bye." Janie Apparated away, and I sighed heavily. Now for my punishment…

I walked into Malfoy's office, where he sat, smirking. He gestured to the seat in front of his desk. I sat down.

"I have decided your punishment," he announced.

"And?" I prompted. He twirled my wand in his hand.

"You have to read every book in this room, and write a detailed summary on each one," he said. My eyes widened.

"You're _kidding_, right?" I asked him.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger." How was it that when he called me that, it made me feel worse than when he called me a Mudblood?

"Fine. When is it due?" I asked, putting as much venom as I could into the words.

"I expect the papers on my desk before I arrive tomorrow morning."

I was outraged. "What?" I screeched.

He shrugged. "You disregarded Rule Number One, the most important rule, and you have to understand that that is unacceptable! Do it, or face an even worse punishment."

I seethed. Who did he think he was? Then again, he was my boss. He could do whatever he wanted… even if he _was_ younger than me.

By, basically, a whole year.

Did I care?

Well, yes.

But the reality of the matter was, I had to suck it up and deal with it.


	7. Slumber Party With Dementors

**A/N So I've only got a few reviews so far… I am disappointed. I hoped my story was better than that. I suppose not. :( But I'm going to keep writing, because I like it.**

**Disclaimer: (Twinkle, twinkle, little star) I do not own Harry Potter, I hope you all love the otters… (I can't rhyme).**

So that's how I ended up staying an hour late at the Ministry. I read a book, summarized it, and placed the paper carefully on Malfoy's desk. I read, wrote, and placed, read, wrote, and placed, read, wrote, and placed over and over again.

Finally, I was ready to leave. I had just finished reading the last book, and was about to write the shortest summary on Earth, when an announcement boomed through the Ministry.

A cool female voice announced: "The Ministry is now closed. Alarm sequence activated." I froze. The _alarm sequence?_

Malfoy _knew_ this was going to happen! I couldn't Apparate out of the Ministry, or leave by Floo powder, or even the front doors. There was an alarm waiting to go off and put me in Azkaban if I tried!

So I wouldn't be able to leave until the morning. How wonderful. At least Malfoy had had the sense to leave me my wand. I scratched my quill quickly across the last parchment and slammed it onto the desk.

I swept past the desk, about to do who knows what, when the summaries fluttered off of the desk. "Oh no," I whispered, and gathered them up.

One was missing.

I tore out of the office just in time to see something drifting onto the floor. I dashed down the hallway and skidded to a stop at the turn. The parchment was lying in the doorway of a room I had never noticed before.

_I'm alone… What's the worst that can happen?_ I asked myself. I opened the door and walked inside, the summary still clutched in my hand.

It was just a storeroom full of cushions and pillows for the lounge. I sighed. I had been hoping for something a bit more exciting.

I walked back to the office and put the summary on top of all the others. Suddenly, a beeping noise came from my pocket. It was my wand, so I took it out.

A picture of myself flew out of the tip of the wand, and I spoke.

"Time to get ready for Blaise!" And the little figure disappeared.

I groaned. _Blaise!_ We had a date that night! And I would have to miss it because of my stupid new boss.

It was officially the worst day of my life.

_Well, I might as well make the best of it,_ I thought, and headed out to explore the Ministry. One rule: stay _away_ from the Department of Mysteries. There were things I still remembered that I _wished_ were mysteries.

I shuddered.

A ringing sound came to my attention. I glanced at my wand, but it wasn't making a peep. The Ministry was getting dark, being underground, and it was kind of creepy with a ringing noise sounding.

I tried to head towards the source of the noise. I searched the entire floor I was on, but I didn't find anything until an hour later.

I was just about to kill myself to get rid of the noise, when I realized it was getting louder. This just annoyed me at first, but then I remembered that that meant I must have been getting closer.

I rounded the bend and came to a halt in front of a small wooden door not much taller than me. Something seemed to be going on behind it. Suddenly, I wasn't sure that I wanted to find out what was making the noise. Maybe it was a monster I had never read about… But then I rationed with myself. That _couldn't_ be a monster I hadn't read about…

Because I had read everything about every monster that ever lived.

So I steeled myself and pushed open the door. What met my eyes was a fairly small room with a bunch of tables crammed together with hundreds of wooden chairs to sit at. There was a Magical Microwave (as promoted by Enchanting Appliances), along with a Startling Stove (made by Bing-Bang-Bonging Kitchen Things) on a counter. The ringing sound was coming from the Magical Microwave.

Curiously, I walked up to the appliance and opened the door. There was a cold and soggy bowl of soup inside. Cold and soggy because it had been sitting there for over an hour, and it was there because… Well, I'm not sure _why_ it was there, but someone probably forgot to take it with them.

When I opened the little door, the ringing stopped. Thank goodness. I picked up the bowl of soup and realized that I was extremely hungry. I stuck the bowl back in the microwave and heated it up for a minute. I could have performed a simple warming charm, but obviously they had done something to the microwave, so maybe it would taste better if I didn't.

Anyway, I took the bowl of soup out of the microwave when it finished. It now looked very appealing, and I took a taste test. It tasted wonderful- but maybe that was because I hadn't eaten for about six hours.

I wandered aimlessly around the Ministry for the next few hours, looking around for something interesting, but I found nothing. Eventually, I got to the bottom level, and I yawned. It was getting late.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew over me, and stayed that way. I realized that it wasn't just cold, but despair as well. _Oh no, Dementors!_ I thought frantically, and ran toward the elevators as fast as I could.

I was never the fastest person, though, and eventually the Dementors caught up with me. They were all around me, slowly closing off any hope of exiting, of ever leaving this room of despair, of my own mind.

The Patronus Charm was the only spell I hadn't completely mastered. I could produce a shaky form on a good day, but it would never repel all of these Dementors.

However, it was my only hope. I had to try.

"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum… Expecto Patronum…" Blaise… What would Blaise say if I became an empty shell?

My heart was screaming at me to give up, my brain going into hibernation. I couldn't let this happen… my eyes were closing… No, I had to stay awake.

I was waking up again. My eyes flew open, and what I saw made me happier than I had ever been, which only made them glow brighter. There were four, silver, glowing otters pushing the Dementors away.

My Patronuses… I had done it! I had driven the Dementors away!

My knees were still shaking, but I didn't stop to get a hold of myself. I fled down the corridor and into the nearest elevator, pounding on the button for the lobby multiple times. I couldn't stop worrying, but I had the feeling that those otters would be down there for a while.

When the doors opened, I stepped out and into another elevator that would take me to the Office for Magical Law Enforcement. It took five minutes, but I finally reached the safe floor.

I got out of the elevator and made my way down the hall. I would have to get some sleep. So I found the storage room with all the cushions and blankets, and fashioned myself a makeshift bed that would suffice for the night.

As I sunk into my "bed" and stuck my wand under a cushion, I promised myself one thing:

No more breaking rules, however insufferable Malfoy became.


	8. A Shocking Revelation

**A/N I hope the last chapter was suspenseful. But it probably wasn't. Anyway, I hope you like it, and PLEASE REVIEW. A few words can go a long way. Oh, and I know the first part of this chapter goes a bit fast, but it kind of had to for the story to work.**

**Disclaimer: I'm too tired to own Harry Potter.**

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of a bell ringing throughout the building. I blinked away the morning grogginess and grabbed my wand. I quickly ran my hands through my hair, changed clothes with a simple switching spell, and left the storage room.

It was utter pandemonium in the Ministry. People were rushing about with loose papers flying around everywhere. Everyone looked as horrible as I did, so that was a bonus. But why did they look that way?

I stopped a random witch. "What's going on?" I had to yell over the loud noise of the bell.

"Someone used the lounge last night when no one here- seems like someone broke in but didn't leave a trace!" replied the woman, and she hurried off to inspect the lounge.

Great. So now, I was the source of complete confusion in the Ministry. Hmm. How long would Kingsley let me keep my job? But I had to come clean. I just can't lie. It's my life goal to never lie. That's what heroes do, right? They never lie?

So I walked purposefully to the elevators and rode in silence to the Minister's office. The doors opened, and I strode down the corridor. Finally, I arrived and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

I opened the door and walked inside. "Good morning, Kingsley," I said.

"Oh, it's you. Good morning, Hermione. I'm sure you've been working hard to catch the thief?" Kingsley looked horrible. He had dark circles under his eyes, which didn't make any sense, and he was clutching at papers randomly all over his desk.

Kingsley was one of my heroes- I had to end this.

"Kingsley, I know who it was," I told him.

He looked up, suddenly hopeful. "Yes? Any lead is hopeful."

I took a deep breath. "I did it."

I expected yelling. Or a disappointed voice. Or _something_ to happen. But all I got was, "What?"

So I launched into an explanation. "Malfoy-"

"Mister Malfoy."

"Okay, yes, _Mister_ Malfoy, whatever. Anyway, he had this rule: no back talk. And I accidentally did, because he's an insufferable little-"

"Hermione," interrupted Kingsley sternly.

"Sorry. He punished me. He made me write a summary on every book in his shelf. So I did. But by the time I was finished, the Ministry had closed. I was forced to spend the night. And I went into the lounge, where there was a cold bowl of soup, and I ate it. End of story, reason for the break-in," I finished.

Kingsley was deep in thought. "Well," he said slowly. "I believe you. Just a moment, please, and I would cover my ears." So I did. Kingsley stood up.

"_Sonorous._ Good morning, witches and wizards. Call off the search. Thank you, and goodbye." He sat back down and quieted his voice. "I'll have a talk with Draco, alright, Hermione? For now, though, why don't you get back to the office?"

I smiled and bid him goodbye. I left and, not feeling up to walking, Apparated right into Malfoy's office. He was looking at my summaries.

"Did I do alright?" I asked, and laughed. Malfoy nearly jumped a mile.

"Fine. I have some more things for you to do today-" But he was cut off by an announcement.

"Would Mister Draco Malfoy please come to my office? Thank you." Malfoy cursed and Apparated away with a loud crack.

I decided to wait for him to come back, so I sat down in a chair across from his desk. I noticed that there were no pictures on it. "Isn't he married?" I muttered.

A few minutes later, Draco- what am I saying? _Malfoy_ came striding in, muttering to himself. "Can't make _me_ do anything… Minister of Magic… Ugh…"

I held back a laugh. It looked like things were going to be better from now on, and because I had the courage to say something.

At last, it was time for lunch. Just before I went to the lounge with Janie, I sent an owl to Blaise.

_Blaise,_

_Sorry I wasn't there on our date last night. It's a long story- I'll explain when I get back. I have plans for lunch already, but I'll see you when I get home! Love you!_

_-Hermione_

I sent it off with a tiny owl that reminded me of Pig, Ron's owl, and set off with Janie. We sat down at one of the many tables, and I conjured myself a sandwich, because I didn't feel like eating anything else. Janie was eating salad. I didn't mind- people can eat whatever they want to.

After a few minutes, I spoke. "You know, Janie, I'm really impressed. Your grammar has improved since I first met you."

She smiled. "Thanks. After I saw how smart you were, I went straight up to my office and looked up how to speak correctly. It's really helped me seem smart."

"But you _are_ smart, Janie! Who told you otherwise?" I asked.

"Oh, just one of my old boyfriends…"

"You broke up with him, then?" I responded.

"Yes, thank goodness. I have a wonderful, caring new boyfriend. I really like him. Actually, I went on a date with him last night! He called last minute… It was really quite romantic," she said, with a dreamy look on her face.

"I'd like to meet him! What does he look like?" I asked her.

"I have a picture!" Janie announced, and brought out her purse. She shoved some stuff around and took out a picture. She showed it to me, and my mouth dropped open.

It was Blaise.


	9. Putting a Plan to Action

**A/N I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I can't repeat it enough! Review, please. Even if there are more chapters up and you are waiting until the last one. REVIEW! I care what you think!**

**Disclaimer: (Twinkle, twinkle) Harry Potter isn't mine, though I did give him a shrine.**

No, no, no! It couldn't be him… I had built almost my entire _life_ around him! Maybe he had a twin that he hadn't told me about? Maybe?

"What's his name?" I was able to choke out.

"Blaise Zabini. I think he's your age," she answered joyfully, not realizing what was going on. Her brows furrowed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I burst out crying. I couldn't speak, but I had enough willpower to make the pen say what I wanted to.

_He's my boyfriend- the one I missed seeing last night._

Her eyes widened as she read the note. Then water filled them, and she was suddenly crying as well.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed. Everyone was looking at us, but I didn't care. I was much too traumatized to care.

"It's not your fault, Janie, it's Blaise's. He's the one cheating," I sniffled, and stopped crying.

"How- how could he _do_ this? He's just so sweet and nice!" cried Janie.

I handed her a tissue I had conjured. "Here you go. Why don't-" I wiped my eyes. "Why don't we write him a letter, sign it together?"

"Okay," Janie nodded. Since there was still about an hour of lunch break left, we went to go get an owl. But before we could, one dropped a letter on my head.

It read:

_Hermione,_

_It's okay that you missed dinner last night. We'll make up for it tonight, alright?_

_-Blaise_

I showed Janie the letter, and then I ripped it to shreds and threw it away.

"Well, we can't write that letter now," stated Janie.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because we can get back at him in a worse way than that!" she exclaimed.

I smiled. "How?"

"I have a plan."

And that's how I ended up going on another date with Blaise, the cheater. Our plan was to keep going out with him and see where it went, but to never let it go any farther than a date.

It just might work.

But that didn't mean I was okay with it. The next day, when I walked into Malfoy's office, about to get my tasks for the day, I just broke down and started crying. I sat down on the floor.

Malfoy was obviously baffled. "What in the world?"

I couldn't help it- I told him everything. I guess I was just distraught from Blaise and that he would cheat, but I told Malfoy every last detail of everything that had happened. It took about an hour.

Afterwards, I was met with silence. Malfoy was still crouched down next to me, looking confused, handing me tissue after tissue.

Finally, he said, "That sounds horrible. I didn't think Blaise had it in him to cheat on people."

I glared at him.

He sighed. "I guess I can't give you any tasks for the month, though, because sadness sickens me. So just… go work with Janie and help her with her project while I work on my business."

I blinked. Malfoy was doing something nice? And to a Muggle-born, no less? But I accepted it and went off to Janie's office.

She looked up from a paper she was reading. "Malfoy told me to work with you," I said.

Janie shrugged. "Alright. This is hard, anyway."

"What do we have to do?"

"Oh, it's just sorting through questions people have about the laws and everything. We have to answer them all. Some of them are really stupid, though," replied Janie.

"Okay. What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"How about I sort through the questions, and you write the answers, since your handwriting is much better than mine. If you don't know the answers, I'll tell you," she responded.

We worked together wonderfully. The project was done within the day. "Of course, tomorrow we'll have more. This is my job, see, to sort through the questions."

'What kind of a job is that?" I inquired.

"Mister Malfoy calls it Question Sorter," said Janie. I raised my eyebrows. "What? It's not like he spends all his time thinking up names for every job in here."

I shrugged. "Whatever. So, anyway, how's it coming with Blaise?"

"He doesn't suspect a thing. You?" she asked.

"It's going perfect. Doesn't think anything of it. You know, we're a great pair," I told her. "You and me, I mean, not me and him." We shuddered.

"I think so, too," said Janie. I looked at the clock. The day was over in a few minutes. "I've got a date with Blaise today. I really hate him. How could he _do_ that? Who could be so mean?"

"I don't know, Janie, but you'd better get going. You know how he hates it when we're late," I said, and she nodded. Janie sighed heavily and Apparated out of the room with a crack.

I packed up my things and did the same.


	10. Talking in an Ice Cream Shop

**A/N Hope you love! Oh, and I just realized something: I have 4 reviews. Only two different people HAVE reviewed. But you know what the weird thing is? I have seven people alerting this story… hmm…**

**Happy Easter, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Harry P isn't mine.**

I went to my apartment. I didn't know what to do except go there. That's where I normally went, anyway, but today I wanted to do something besides go to work and go out with Blaise.

I had a shocking revelation: my life had become really boring. Was I becoming boring along with it? Was _that_ why Blaise had cheated on me? No, I wasn't allowed to think about him anymore. He was gone and done and over with- well, not over with. But I couldn't keep thinking about him.

Yeah. I _had_ to get out of the house- it was making me go crazy. So I changed out of my work clothes and into casual clothing: a red tee shirt and jeans with sandals. I brushed my hair and left for the streets of Diagon Alley.

You _can_ Apparate right into the Alley, but I prefer to go through the Leaky Cauldron. You never know who you might meet up with. Of course, when I got there, it was a warm summer's day, so barely anyone was there at all.

I looked around. Nope. No one I knew. I waved at Tom the bartender and exited the pub into Diagon Alley.

Since it was around dinnertime, I went into one of the cafés and attempted to sit down. But, since it was summer, people were out (I hadn't predicted that) and the café was packed. Not one seat was open.

I sighed and walked out. All the other cafés were like that as well, so I decided to go into Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor. They sold sandwiches there as well. I peeked in and almost gave up.

Every seat was taken except for one stool on the end of the counter. I hurried in and sat down. Florean came over.

"Hello, how may I help you?" he asked, smiling.

My stomach growled. "Can I have a PB and J sandwich please, and a butterbeer?" I asked.

"Of course, Madam." I nodded gratefully and Florean scuttled off. There were a few attendants working with him, but they were all working really hard. I looked around.

There were people of all different ages and genders tied up in one small little ice cream shop. Florean would be overflowing with money by the end of the summer.

I looked at the person next to me. It was a man. He was wearing a dark cloak- which didn't make one bit of sense, considering the heat, even for a wizard. His head was down, and he was drinking a frozen butterbeer that seemed to have melted.

That wasn't even the odd part. What really got me was his hair.

It was white-blonde, and I only knew one person with that hair color.

But… what was Draco Malfoy doing in an ice cream shop, drinking melted frozen drinks with a dark cloak on?

After a couple of minutes, I worked up the courage to talk.

I tapped his shoulder, and he turned around. "What are you doing here, Malfoy? And why are wearing that cloak?"

"I can't be normal and eat an ice cream on a hot day?" he asked me.

"You're drinking a frozen butterbeer," I pointed out. "And it's melted. What's going on?"

"Now, why should I tell you?" he sneered.

"Because you're my boss, and if you're sick or something, I need to know," I said, matter-of-factly.

He slumped his shoulders. "Well, since you genuinely seem to care, and you told me what was wrong with _you_, I guess I have to tell you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay. And?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Astoria isn't really my wife, like people seem to think," he started.

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I don't understand why people think that, but anyway, father had Astoria move in with us, and then my parents left for an even bigger estate."

"What does this have to do with you being sick?"

"Are you going to listen to me or not?"

"Of course I am."

"Well then, listen. I don't like Astoria, not one bit. She's an arrogant, self-centered prick that doesn't care about anyone," Malfoy began.

"Hmm. Well, _that_ doesn't remind me of anyone."

"Let me finish. So we're living together, and- here's the part that made me come here- Astoria wants a child. I definitely _do not_ want a kid, at least not with her. I hate her." Draco shuddered and took a sip of his not-frozen drink.

Wait- did I just say _Draco?_

I don't usually feel sympathy for people that made fun of me and tormented me, but Malfoy seemed so upset that I couldn't do anything but help.

"Why don't you just tell her? She'll understand. And, you know, Astoria probably feels the same way," I told him.

"What? That she hates me?"

"Well, she probably doesn't _hate_ you, but she just said she wants a kid. That doesn't mean that she necessarily wants one with _you,_" I shrugged, and downed some of my butterbeer.

When I looked over, Malfoy was staring at me like I had grown three heads. "What?"

"Since when were you so… wise?" he asked in amazement. I raised my eyebrows. He corrected himself quickly: "I mean, you were always clever, of course, you got top grades in everything… ugh… but you never seemed to be _wise._ Now you are, and I have no idea what to think of it."

"Why don't you promote me to something that could actually _use_ my talent?" I suggested.

He laughed. I had never heard Malfoy laugh, not for real, and it sounded nice. "Haven't you noticed? I already did promote you, to Janie's assistant. That means your position is right below hers. If I get fired, or quit, or something, you'll be second in command."

My jaw dropped. "So, that means I'm third in command right now?"

"I suppose so, yes."

I laughed. "Yes! I've only been working a short while, and I'm already third in command! _Yes!_"

Malfoy just stared at me in bewilderment. "Moving on, you think that I should just talk to her? And she'll leave?"

"Do you have enough money to buy her a house?" I inquired.

"Well, yes, much more than enough, but what does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Why don't you go back and talk to her?" I said.

"What- now?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course! Did you think you would sit there for a while, sipping unfrozen butterbeer and wallowing in your sorrows alone? No, sir, you are going back to your manor and telling Astoria how you feel!" I told him. People were starting to stare at us.

Malfoy sighed. "Alright. But, Granger, I expect you to come a bit early to work tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I have to give you news on a new project for you and Janie," he said, and disappeared with a crack.

I smiled. My butterbeer was finished, so I dumped it and waved an assistant over.

I ordered a sundae, and finished it within five minutes, a grin still on my face.


	11. The Project

**A/N OOHH, turning point! Hope you like; review please!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does NOT belong to me.**

That's how I ended up getting up extra early to get to work on time. I Apparated to the Ministry, and appeared right in Malfoy's office because I didn't feel like taking the elevator.

Malfoy was already there.

"Hello, Mister Malfoy," I said, trying extremely hard not to roll my eyes.

"Good morning, Granger. As you can see, Janie isn't here yet, so I think we should wait for her." I nodded. Then he added, "Oh, and Astoria agreed with me. I, uh, am going to buy her the house she's moving into. My father doesn't like it, but now both Astoria and I are happy, and that's basically what he wanted."

"That's great!" I said. "So, what's that new project?"

"Janie isn't-" she appeared instantly, stumbling slightly.

"I didn't miss anything, did I?" she asked anxiously.

"No, you didn't," said Malfoy. "Granger just came a bit earlier is all."

"Malfoy, I didn't come early, she just came a bit _late._ No offense, Janie," I said.

"No offense taken. Anyway, what's the new project?" Janie responded.

Malfoy said, "I think you'll both enjoy it. What you two have to do is go out and look for lawbreakers today for an hour, then write a report on what you saw. It's today only, but it could get you a promotion. Meaning that Kristy would go down to what Granger is now."

My jaw dropped. "But, why are you doing something _nice?_"

Malfoy crossed his arms. "I'm not _evil,_ you know."

"I suppose not. But still, you've never been nice before- why start now?" I asked.

Malfoy sighed, exasperated, "I don't know! Maybe because you helped me with Astoria, maybe because I'm just in a good mood. But you'd better go and work soon, someone will have to break the law at some point today…"

"Alright. Come on, Hermione, let's work," said Janie, and started to pull me away.

"Good luck, Granger."

"We'll get it back to you soon, Malfoy," I promised.

"It's-"

Janie stopped walking. I nearly ran into her. "Why don't you guys call each other by your first names?"

I stared at her, and then realized she was serious. I flushed, and glanced at Malfoy. He was blushing furiously.

"Well, Janie, we went to school together, and-" I started, but she cut me off.

"Ooh, that must have been so much fun!" squealed Janie.

We- meaning Malfoy and I- burst out laughing.

"Oh yes, _loads_ of fun!" exclaimed Malfoy.

"Are you kidding?" I choked. "Malfoy made fun of me to no end during school. It was _not_ fun."

Janie smiled. "Well, you two should still be on a first name basis if you went to school together. So, no more calling each other by your last names! And," she added quickly. "you have to do it, because I'm older. So, _ha!_"

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, we'll get this project finished. Come on, Janie," I said, and dragged her to her office.

"Alright. Let's work on the daily job first, then we can go out and do the project for lunch. It'll be nice to go out, won't it?" Janie asked me.

"I suppose so. Where should we go, though? The Leaky Cauldron?" I inquired.

"How about we go to the Leaky Cauldron, the Three Broomsticks, and the Hog's Head? And under cover. Everyone knows who you are, Hermione."

"Sounds like a deal to me!" I said, and we sat down to look at reports.

At lunchtime, the two of us prepared to go out. We would go to the Leaky Cauldron, have a snack and a butterbeer, and then go to the Three Broomsticks and have two snacks and another butterbeer, and lastly go to the Hog's Head, have three snacks, and buy a Firewhiskey to share.

But first, Janie insisted that I alter my appearance. "You're too noticeable!" she said. I think she just wanted an excuse to redo what I looked like.

So she had me stand completely still while she changed everything about me, save the clothes. After twenty minutes, I was unrecognizable. I had cropped red hair, freckles, a long nose, and I had been shrunk a few inches. Not to mention my eyes were now blue and my skill much paler than normal, and I was wearing fake glasses

I could have been Ginny's sister.

Janie changed her hair color to brown, just in case someone knew she was from the Law Enforcement Office.

Finally, we headed to the Leaky Cauldron. I ordered the day's soup and a butterbeer from Tom. He looked at me quizzically, as if trying to place me, but handed me the order anyway. Janie got the same thing.

We finished the things in less than ten minutes, but we stayed for twenty, surveying the place and looking around for law-breakers. No one did anything remotely against the law.

At the Three Broomsticks, it was the same. People were quite rowdy, but there wasn't anything in the law books that said you couldn't yell in restaurants.

In the Hog's Head, there were barely ten people, including Janie and me. But no one did anything remotely against the law. Janie and I shared a Firewhiskey. I blinked. The world seemed slightly blurry and louder than usual.

No one was breaking the law, so the hour was really boring.

Later, we went outside to roam the streets of Hogsmeade, since we still had ten minutes left.

Who did we see? Blaise, of course. He was sitting on a bench with some girl, twirling his finger into her hair.

It was disgusting, and Janie gagged with me. All the same, she hurriedly bleached her freckles and grew a couple of inches. Just so that Blaise wouldn't recognize us.

He _did_, however, notice us. The girl kissed him and left, probably for the restroom or something. Once she was out of sight, Blaise rushed over to us and turned on the charm.

"Hello, ladies," he said, and winked at me.

I raised my eyebrow. "Nice try. But I've got a boyfriend."

Blaise shrugged. "And what about you, beautiful?" he asked Janie.

She tapped her chin and pretended to think about it. "I don't know… maybe your _girlfriend_ over there knows!" and Janie slapped him.

Blaise looked thoroughly taken aback. "What? No… she's… she's not my _girlfriend._ She's just… some kid…"

"Well, let's ask her, shall we?" I asked him, gesturing. The girl had come back and was staring strangely at us.

"Could you come over here for a moment, miss?" I asked her.

She nodded and walked over. I stuck out my hand. "Hello," I said. She shook my hand.

"I'm Natalia, Blaise's girlfriend." She gazed adoringly at him. "Who are you?"

I nodded at Janie. She took out her wand and flicked it at me. I morphed back to my original appearance. Blaise started gaping in horror.

"I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you, Natalia. And, just so you know about Blaise- he cheated on me with her." I jerked a thumb at Janie. "And I got a new best friend out of it! So I suggest breaking up with him before he does it to you."

"He _did?_ Blaise! Are you cheating on _me?_ You better not be!" Natalia said.

"I would never do such a thing to you, Natalia," declared Blaise.

Just then, another girl ran over. She had red hair and blue eyes, and was very pretty. "Hello, Blaise," she said seductively. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Natalia gaped. "No way. You _idiot!_ I _hate_ you!" and she stormed away.

Blaise shrugged and placed his arm around the red haired girl's waist. "Of course we're on."

And then they started making out.

Ugh. I hoped they were happy together.


	12. Epilogue

**A/N I hope you guys liked the last chapter. I'm sorry it was so late! I had no inspiration, and I was working on something else.**

**Disclaimer: My cat is going to help me steal the rights to HP! Mwagagahaha! But, seriously, it doesn't belong to me.**

We wrote a report on everything we saw. It wasn't a very interesting paper… So when Malfoy asked me to stay after work, I wasn't very surprised. Oddly enough, Janie wasn't asked to stay.

Just before the day ended, I picked up some parchment and a quill, and wrote to Blaise.

_Blaise,_

_As you could see from today, I know what happened. And it probably goes without saying that I hate you and we're _never_ going out, ever again._

_-Hermione_

I sent the letter with a Ministry owl and headed over to Malfoy's, well, I guess I mean _Draco's_, office. I knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Draco's voice. I turned the knob and walked inside.

"You wanted to see me?" I raised my eyebrows.

Draco gestured to the seat in front of him, and I sat down. "Yes. I-"

I couldn't help it. I got up and started talking. "I'm sorry!" I wailed. "I should have done better with the paper, and now I failed and I'm going to get fired and I haven't even been working for you for a year and I messed it up and-"

I hadn't even noticed that Draco had gotten up, but he was suddenly standing right in front of me.

"Oh, shut up, Granger."

You can guess what happened next...

14 YEARS LATER/EPILOGUE

Me again.

After that day, Draco and I started going out, and it turned out that he wasn't a _total_ jerk.

Two years later, he proposed, and we got married a month later. A year later, we had a kid, and now she was eleven and heading off to Hogwarts.

Her name was Androcissa, at Draco's insistence. I didn't mind, however. I thought it was a beautiful name, and it fit her perfectly.

Anyway, it was nearly time to be at Platform 9 3/4. So I took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. Draco held Androcissa's hand, and they walked into the fireplace together.

Draco yelled, "Platform 9 3/4!" And they disappeared.

I was about to do the same, but I hesitated before stepping into the fire. I've always hated traveling by Floo, and I didn't _really_ need to... I gave in and Apparated. When I appeared at the platform, Draco rolled his eyes but said nothing.

People were shouting. There were fifteen minutes left until the train was supposed to leave.

I waved, and the others came over. Harry and Ginny with their kids, Ron and Lavender with theirs, and Neville and Luna with their twins.

"Hey, Neville," said Ginny. "Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts? You _are_ a professor, right?"

Neville looked sheepish. "Well, I suppose Luna and I should both be there." To our questioning looks, he glanced at his wife, who smiled, and he said, "Luna teaches Care of Magical Creatures now."

We all clapped for her. "Great, Luna!" I said, and hugged her. The kids sighed impatiently at us, and I patted Androcissa on the back.

"Why don't you guys get a spot on the train?" I suggested, and they all nodded.

We hugged all the kids, and they dashed onto the train. I glanced at the clock, and nearly choked. It was thirty seconds from eleven.

"Come _on!_ It's about to leave, we have to see if they forgot anything!" I said worriedly.

We all ran to the train with the other parents. The train was already moving.

I waved and jumped at the same time. "Bye, Androcissa! Have a _great_ year, sweetheart!" I called.

I could see her rolling her eyes from the window.

"I'm going to miss her so much," I said sadly.

Draco put his arm around me. "We can't write too often. I know how embarrassed I was when my mother wrote every day."

"Don't worry, Hermione. We can still have her and friends over for Christmas. Then we can embarrass her to no end!" Ginny had come over and patted my shoulder.

I sighed, and gazed after the train, long since gone, and decided that no matter what they said, I was going straight home and writing to Androcissa about how much I missed her already.

**A/N Sorry it was so short. That's the end. Bye! :)**


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